The center of downtown Denton moved a few blocks east this fall. The Big Top Tent, the new weekend shuttle's drop-off, and the college garage that opens to the public in October are all on the east side of downtown. Three new places to eat and drink opened in the same stretch during late summer, which gives the 300 block of East Hickory Street, between Industrial and Russell streets, a part in nearly every downtown visit this season.
For anyone who lives here, that changes the starting point. Through Nov. 8 and past it, the simplest way into a crowded October downtown is to park, eat, and listen to music east of the courthouse, then walk west to the Square.
Where October's Logistics Ended Up
The Big Top Tent is the pop-up venue for live music, variety shows, and movie screenings during 31 Days of Denton Halloween. The Denton Record-Chronicle reports that it moved this year to the public lot at 301 E. Oak St., so that lot has limited parking for the whole month.
The other two changes are also on the east side. The city and DCTA added a park-and-ride this year. Shuttles leave Golden Triangle Mall and stop at the Denton Development Service Center or the Oak Street/Oakland parking lot. The North Central Texas College garage on East Mulberry Street, west of Bell Avenue, is open to the public in October on a set schedule.
| Option | Where | When |
|---|---|---|
| NCTC garage | East Mulberry St., west of Bell Ave. | Thu 5–8 p.m., Fri 5–10 p.m., Sat and Sun 2–10 p.m., October |
| Park-and-ride shuttle | From Golden Triangle Mall to the Development Service Center or Oak Street/Oakland lot | Sat 6 p.m.–1 a.m., Sun 10 a.m.–11 p.m., Oct. 3–Nov. 8 |
| Extra Day of the Dead shuttle | Same route | Sat., Oct. 24, 10 p.m.–midnight |
| Paid lots | West Mulberry St.; corner of West Walnut and South Elm; part of the lot behind the Wells Fargo Building | Varies |
Two more rules matter for weekday visits. On-street parking on the Square has a two-hour limit from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays. Government lots open to the public after 5 p.m. Several streets around the Square are one-way, which adds a few minutes of circling if you're hunting for a spot.
Three New Tenants Within a Short Walk of the Shuttle
The new businesses are close to all of this. All three opened between late August and late September, and their hours run later than most of the events on the October calendar.
The Pony is at 314 E. Hickory St., Suite 121. The Record-Chronicle notes that it took over the former Vinyl Lounge space on Russell Street. Community Impact describes a from-scratch restaurant, a cocktail bar, a pottery studio, and a stage for weekend live music. The menu includes olive oil tastings, prosciutto and melon bites, meatball sandwiches, and a prosciutto and stracciatella pizza. It soft opened Aug. 23 and held its grand opening Aug. 28.
Cream Bunny Bakery Cafe sits next to The Pony and Vagabond Vintage at the same address, in Suite 111 facing Russell Street. It serves breakfast and lunch, pastries, drinks, and gourmet doughnuts.
Smithers Smokehouse is at 300 E. Hickory St., on the corner of Industrial Street. Owner Cody Smithers co-owned Bet the House BBQ, which the Record-Chronicle reports opened in 2014 and closed its storefront in 2018. The Bet the House barbecue egg rolls came with him. They're filled with brisket, coleslaw, and mac and cheese. Community Impact lists its opening date as Sept. 26.
| Spot | Address | Posted hours |
|---|---|---|
| Cream Bunny Bakery Cafe | 314 E. Hickory St., Ste. 111 | Daily, 9 a.m.–10 p.m. |
| Smithers Smokehouse | 300 E. Hickory St. | Sun–Thu 11 a.m.–10 p.m.; Fri–Sat 11 a.m.–midnight |
| The Pony | 314 E. Hickory St., Ste. 121 | Kitchen Tue–Thu and Sun 11 a.m.–9 p.m.; Fri 11 a.m.–9 p.m., bar to midnight; Sat kitchen until 7 p.m.; Saturday live music, doors 8:30 p.m., show 9 p.m. |
Between them, the three cover morning coffee through a midnight last call, all inside one block. On a Saturday, The Pony's kitchen closes at 7 p.m. and its show starts at 9. Smithers serves until midnight that night, so dinner and the show can both happen on Hickory without moving the car.
The Block Already Had a Music Spine
The Pony's Saturday stage is a short walk from a music venue that has been on Industrial Street for more than two decades. Dan's Silverleaf has been at 103 Industrial St. since June 13, 2002. The NCTC Black Box Theater is at 316 E. Hickory, right next to The Pony's address. Harvest House is down the street at 331 E. Hickory, and The Bearded Monk is around the corner at 122 E. McKinney.
Wolff's Park ties the block together. The City of Denton lists it as the park formerly called Industrial Park, with benches and tables. This October it hosts Twilight Tunes, so the free Thursday concert series is now about a block from the three new places.
How a Thursday Works on This Block
Thursday has the clearest plan of the week. Denton Main Street's Twilight Tunes schedule shows concerts at Wolff's Park on Industrial Street from 6 to 7:30 p.m., and three dates remain this month: Oct. 15, 22, and 29.
Watch the parking times on Thursdays. The NCTC garage is open to the public only from 5 to 8 p.m. that night, which leaves 30 minutes after the last song. For a quick barbecue plate at Smithers after the concert, the garage works. For a longer dinner at The Pony, whose Thursday kitchen runs until 9, or a stop at Cream Bunny, open until 10, a government lot is a better fit. Those lots open to the public after 5 p.m.
The same Thursdays line up with the Halloween Town Market at Quakertown Park. It runs 6 to 10 p.m. with rotating artists, and its remaining nights are Oct. 15–18, Oct. 22–23, and Oct. 29–31. The Record-Chronicle notes a pedestrian crossing on McKinney Street between the public parking lot and the attractions outside City Hall.
Day of the Dead Weekend Pulls the Crowd West
The east-side plan matters most on the busiest weekend of the month. Discover Denton lists Denton's Day of the Dead Festival for Oct. 22–25. The main festival and the coffin races are on Saturday, Oct. 24, and the listed address is 110 W. Hickory St., on the west side of the Square.
That puts the festival on the opposite side of downtown from the shuttle stops and the Oak Street lot. Diagonal crosswalks on the Square make it easier to cross between the courthouse lawn and the shops around it. The extra shuttle that night runs 10 p.m. to midnight on top of the regular Saturday service. Smithers stays open until midnight on Saturdays, so the walk back east can end at a table.
For neighbors coming from Highland Village or Lewisville, the A-train is another option. It runs hourly on Saturdays, doesn't run on Sundays, and the last southbound train leaves downtown at 10 p.m.
After the Shuttle Stops on Nov. 8
The park-and-ride ends Nov. 8, but the east-side restaurants stay, and the rest of the season's events are spread across downtown. Some dates fall on the same weekend:
- Saturday mornings, through Dec. 20: The Denton Community Market runs 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 317 W. Mulberry St.
- Nov. 6–8: The Alternative Gifts Fair at 201 S. Locust St.
- Nov. 15: The Mac and Cheese Fest at 308 E. Oak St., on the east side again.
- Nov. 21: The Downtown Denton Craft Beer Crawl starts at 1 p.m. The organizer says this year's crawl features only downtown Denton craft brews. The Turkey Roll is the same day at 3001 Bronco Way.
- Nov. 28: The second annual Santa's Christmas Market at Golden Triangle Mall, 2201 S. Interstate 35E.
- Dec. 5: The Holiday Lighting Festival runs 3 to 9 p.m. at Quakertown Park, 215 E. McKinney St. Discover Denton says more details are coming.
Golden Triangle Mall gets busier on its own schedule too. The Record-Chronicle reports that Launch Family Entertainment is set to open inside the mall on Oct. 30, with trampolines, a ninja course, virtual reality, arcade games, and a restaurant and bar. The Mac and Cheese Fest and the Holiday Lighting Festival both fall within a short walk of East Hickory. Cream Bunny's 9 a.m. opening also fits a Saturday morning before or after the Mulberry Street market.
If the new east-side places have you thinking about how close you'd want to live to downtown Denton, or what a home a short walk from the Square looks like right now, Sandy Mozur knows these blocks and is glad to help you weigh it. Let's Connect.
